Indirect-lighting fixture



4 E. D; TILLSON 1,762,565 INDIRECT LIGHTING FIXTURE June 10, 1936.

Filed April 22, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 10, 1939. E. D. TILLSON ,7

I INDIRECT LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed April 2;, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented June 1%, 193% entree srATEs PATEhET QFFICE EDWIN D. TILLSON,EVANSTON, ILLINGIS, ASSIGNOR TO SOMEBVILLE VT. THOMP- SON, TRUSTEE, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS INDIRECT-LIGHTING FIXTURE Application filed Apri1'22,192a My invention relates to the class of indirect lighting fixtures inwhich the lamp bulb is laterally housed by a reflector which redirectsthe light upwardly, and in which this reflec- I5 tor is housed by anopaque bowl.

In some of its general objects, my invention aims to provide a simple,strong and inexpensive lighting unit of this class which will permitconvenient access to the interior of the reflector for cleaning thelatter, which will firmly support the reflector from its bottom andwithout requiring auxiliary fastening elements for supporting thereflector, which will not cause a cracking ofthe reflector bytemperature changes in the reflector and bowl, and which will permitboth a ready inserting of the reflector in the bowl and a removal of thereflector from the bowl.

Furthermore, my invention aims to provide a bowl construction for such areflector which can easily be manufactured and which will not imposeundue strains on the reflector housed by the bowl. I Illustrative of myinvention and of more detailed objects of my invention- Fig. l is afront elevation of my indirect lighting unit as it appears when in use,with one half of the bowl and reflector in section.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same unit, drawn on a reduced scale.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the same unit, drawn on the same scale as Fig.2, showing the bowl and reflector swung out of its normal position foraccess to the interior of the re flector. 1

Fig. ,4 is an enlarged horizontal section through the arms which supportthe bowl, taken along the line 4- of Fig. 1 and looking upward.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged and fragmentary side elevation of a portion of thesame unit, looking from the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged and fragmentary perspective view showing one ofthe hinging connections between the bowl and the arms whch support thebowl.

Fig. 7 is a central and vertical section through the bottom of myindirect lighting fixture, showing the disposition of the reflector withrespect to the bottom of the bowl Serial No. 357,001.

when no cushioning disk is interposed between them.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section through the socket housing andadjacent parts, taken along the line 88 of Fig. 4.

In the illustrated embodiment, the incandescent lamp 15 is supported bya socket disposed within an upright socket housing 1, which socket isnot pictured, since it forms no part of my present invention. To supporta reflector bowl from this socket housing 1, I provide three flat arms2, each of which arms has its upper portion 2A extending upwardly intothe said socket housing and hearing flatwise against the bore of thehousing. Each of these upper arm portions is clamped against the housingby a knurled screw 3 and is kept from rotating about this screw by theentry of an embossed nub i in a corresponding perforation in thehousing. Thus arranged, a single screw serves for rigidly securing eachof the said arms 2 to the socket housing, and'when the screws aretightened, all of the arms are held against swinging or misalignment. I

These arms are preferably spaced unifornr ly about the vertical axis ofthe socket housing, and the partof each such arm which is below thesocket housing is twisted adjacent to the housing at right angles to theupper arm portion and bent edgewise so that the lower end portion ofeach arm extends substantially horizontally. The tip 213 of each suchlower arm portion overhangs the inwardly directed horizontal mouth flane 5 of an upwardly opaque bowl which bowl is desirably formed of sheetsteel.

One such arm tip 2B (as shown in Fig. 5) extends between the parallelriser webs 7 of two angle-sh aped punchings 8, each of which has itsbase portion fastened to the bowl flange 5, as by a rivet 9; and thisarm tip 213 is normally secured to both of the said punchings by adetachable member, such as a spring cotter 10 extending through alinedperforations in the said arm tip and the riser webs 7 of the punchings.

Each of the other two arms has its lower and outwardly directed end bentto dispose this end in a parallel. to the arm tip 213, and

each such bent arm end 2C is pivoted on a rivet 20 extending through theriser 11 of a pivoting punching which has its base 12 se cured to thetop of the bowl flange by'arivet 13, this assembly being shownseparately in Fig. 6. These pivoting punchings are disposed (as shown in2) so that the pivoting'rivets 20 have a common axis, and so that therisers 11 are both parallel to the risers of the punching 8 throughwhich latter riser detachable spring cotter 10 extends.

Housed by the bowl is an upwardly open reflector 14, this reflectordesirably being of glass si vered on its outer face and ribbed orotherwise conflgurated to avoid the projecting of images otthe filamentof the incandescent la np 15 which depends from thesocket housing. Thereflector 14 has its month end sufllciently large in diameter so as tounderhang the bowl flange'fi', andhas a height approximating theinterior height of the bowl. The bottoms of the bowl and the re flectorare desirably convexed downwardly, and the lower end of the reflectormay seat directly on the bottom of the bowl, as shown in 7, in whichcase theconvexing oi": the reflector bottom is preferably greater thanthat of the bowl bottom 6, thereby limiting the interengaging of theseparts to a'lsmall area. However, I may interpose a cushioning disk 16between the bottom of the reflec tor and the bottomof the bowl, as shownin Fig. 1. In. either case, the reflector can'be of such a he ht that itreaches close to the.

howl flange 5, provided that the diameter of the month end of thereflector is only slightly bowl will center the reflector.

smaller than the bore of the bowl just below the flange '5, so'thatthisbore'portionof the To allow for the use of a reflector having a mouthofgreater diameter than the bore of including a lower main portion 6having a cylindrical collar 6A at its upper end, which cylindricalportion is of larger diameter than the mouth of the reflector, and abowl ring fitted upon this main bowl portion. This bowl ring comprisesan upright'and tubular lower end portion 5B telescoped into the saidcollar 6A, and an inwardlyand upwardly curving intermediate part 5A.,and the aforesaid inwardly directed top flange 5. i

By forming the intermediate bowl ring part 5A so that the bore of itsupper portion is only slightly larger than the diameter of the mouth endof the reflector, I enable this how]. ring portion to center thereflector in the bowl; When the reflector has been inserted in themain'bowl portiomthe bowl ring '3 slipped over the month end of thereflector so as to telescope the ring portion 5B into the bowl collar6A, and the two bowl p grts are then secured to each other by screws 1lVit-h the reflector-housing bowl of my unit ture,'and by making theinterfitting portions possible exception of a small central bottom thuscomposed of two parts having telescopically interfitting peripheralportions, the two interfitted portions together afford a quite stiffperipheral part, so that my bowl will readily retain its shape even itmade of relatively thin metal. .Hence I can employ metal which caneasily be drawn to an artistic curva- 5B and-6A considerably larger inciameter than the month end of the bowl, I avoid the need of followingthe shape of the reflector, which shapenecessarily is determined largelyby the desired distribution of the reflected light. Furthermore, I canreadily-ornament the tubular collar portion 6A, if desired.

.Moreover, by vertically elongating. the periterations in the bowlcollar 6A, through which perforations the screws 17 extend, I

permit the bowl ring to he slid snugly down .upon the mouth end of thereflector according to the exact height of the latter, thereby clampingthereflector against thev bottom of the bowl when the screws 17 aretightened,

The. reflectoris then held rigidly,so that it will not shift in positioneven it its mouth somewhat smaller than the upper p'artof the collarportion 5A. Soalso, the relatively largediameter of the interflttingtubular porf tions permits the main bore part6 (with the portion) tobetreely spaced from the 'glas reflector, so that accidentalimpactagainst the bowl from any side or the latter will not damage thereflector. V

Byd-isposing the hinging arm ends 1 3C so that they are both parallel:to the detachable third arm end 23, I also permit the entire I bowl andreflector assembly to be sw down at a considerable angle,,while st-illremaining securely supported through theZnon-detachable hinging rivets20,as shown in Fig- This makes the cleaning of the rciicctci' both easyand safe. So also, by twisting the supporting arms 2 asabove described,lnot only secure rigidity for these arms but also dispose the flat facesof their main portions upright, so 'as-to reduce the shadows cast bythese armsf 1 p v Moreover, by supporting the reflector from the bowlbottom on which it seats, I entirely avoid the use of screwsunderhangingmouth 7 portions of the reflector, thereby eiiniinati g the cracking andbreaking of the mouth flanges of reflectors which occurs so frequent Ily when reflectors are supported by screws in i the heretofore customarymanner. 7

However, while I have heretofore "de scribed my invention in anembodiment including numerous desirable details con-- struction andarrangement, I donot wish to be limitedto these, as changes mayobviously be made without departing: either froin the spirit of myinvention or from-the-appended claims; 'Nor do. I wish to be limited tothe Lilies employment of all novel features of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. An indirect lighting fixture comprising an upwardly open reflectorhaving a downwardly convexed lower end, and a bowl housing the same; thebowl having an upwardly concaved bottom portion supporting the reflectorand an annular upper end portion clamped down upon the month end of thereflector.

2. An indirect lighting fixture comprising an upwardly open reflectorhaving a downwardly convexed lower end, and a bowl hou ing the same; thebowl comprising a main bowl part having central bottom portionsupporting the reflector and having a tubular upper end, and a bowl ringhaving a lowor portion telescopically fitting and secured to the saidtubular end of the main bowl part,

the bowl ring having at its upper end an in turned flange overhangingthe month end of the reflector.

3. An indirect lighting fixture comprising a socket housing, a 1. mpdepending from the housing, a plurality of rigid. arms fast on thehousing and extending downwardly and outwardly from the housing, areflector underhanging the housing and into which the lamp extends, andan opaque bowl housing the reflector and supporting the reflector fromthe bottom ot the latter, two of the said arms having parallel outerends non-detachably hinged to the bowl, and means detachably Iiconnectin the outer end of the third arm to dia me": r

the bowl.

t. in an indirect lighting unit, an opaque bowl and upwardly open bowlhaving an inturned annular flange at its month end, a re flector iousedby the bowl. and having a con tral bottom portion seated on the bottomof the bowl, the reflector having its month end underhanging the saidflange, the interior of the said month end being sub stantially equal tothat of the bore 01'' the said flange, the outside diameter of the saidre flector mouth end approximating the bore of the portion of the bowlbelow and adjacent to the said flange, whereby the said bore por tioncenters the reflector in the bowl.

5. In an indirect lighting fixture, an upwardly open and upwardlyflaring reflector, and an urn-shaped bowl housing the reflector and slihtly taller than the'reflector; the bowl comprising a main bowl portionshorter than the reflector, and a bowl ring fitted upon and secured tothe upper end of the main bowl portion; the bowl ring havin at its upperend an inturned flange overhanging and adj acentto the month end of thereflector, the portion of the bowl ring ad jacent to the said reflectormonth end having a bore approximating the outside diameter of the saidmonth end so as to center the reflector in the bowl; the reflectorhaving its bottom seated on the bottom of the bowl and the bowl havingall parts between its said bottom and the said bore portion freelyspaced from the reflector.

6. In an indirect lighting fixture, an upright and upwardly flaringreflector, and a substantially urn-shaped bowl housing the same; theupper end part of the bowl comprising an annular flange overhanging andclose to the mouth end of the reflector and of a bore approximating thatof the said reflector mouth end; the reflector having its lower endseated on a relatively small bottom portion of the bowl and having itsmonth end centered in the reflector by the bore portion of the bowladjacent to the said flange, the bowl being formed so that all portionsthereof between its said small bottom portion and its said reflectorcentering portion are freely spaced radially of the bowl from thereflector.

7. In an indirect lighting fixture, an up-- wardly open reflector havinga downwardly convexed lower end; and a substantially urnshaped bowlhousing the reflector and consisting of upper and lower parts secured toeach other at the largest diametered portion of the bowl; the lower bowlpart having its lower end engaging a relatively small lower end portionof the reflector; the upper bowl part having a portion surrounding andadjacent to the month end of the reflector so as to center the saidmonth end in the bowl, the upper bowl part also having portions closelyoverhanging the month end of the reflector to prevent a tipping of thereflector in the bowl, the last named portions being spaced from theaxis of the reflector by distances at least equal to the radius of themouth end of the reflector.

8. In an indirect lighting fixture comprising an upwardly flaringreflector and a sub stantially urn-shaped opaque bowl housing andsupporting the reflector; the reflector be ing seated on the bottom ofthe bowl; the bowl having an annular month end portion closely adjacentto the month end of the reflector so as to center the reflector in thebowl, the bowl having at its month end an inwardly directed flangesuiliciently close to the mouth end of the reflector to prevent atipping of the reflector in the bowl, the said flange having a bore atleast equal to that of the mouth end of the reflector.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, April 19th, 1929.

EDWVIN D. TILLSON.

